I am not saying this because I know President Bush and have supported
many of his policies. I would feel exactly the same way if it were 1998
and the storyline had President William J. Clinton murdered.
Channel 4 is publicly owned but, unlike other channels in the BBC
system, is supported by advertising dollars. I hope advertisers cancel
by the dozens. The outgoing chief of ITV, Charles Allen, a week ago
blasted Channel 4 for its reliance on reality TV shows and "shock
jocks." In the fall line-up, on what is known as the More4 Channel, is a
show entitled "The Trial of Tony Blair." It is a satirical program about
the future resignation of Prime Minister Blair. How very nice. They have
a funny little skit about their own Prime Minister but it is acceptable
for them to kill our President, docudrama style.
Our government will not comment on the show, only saying that comment
would dignify the program. I think that is plain wrong. Of course, the
President should stay out of the fray and the State Department would not
want to offend anyone by speaking out so there is only one other obvious
choice to let them have it-Vice President Cheney. I cannot understand
the British Government's staying out of the fray. Supposing an American
station produced a docudrama on the assassination of Queen Elizabeth II.
Do you think the British Government would have something to say?
The most important docudrama was the 1938 radio version of an invasion
of the United States by space ships in New Jersey. Despite repeated
assertions that this was just a dramatic presentation and not an actual
event, millions still believed the radio program. The highways were
clogged with drivers heading for the supposed landing site. Not all cars
had radios then so if a person half asleep heard the supposed tale of
what purported to have happened and grabbed his wife and her cat to see
the men from Mars all he would see when he got there were other
automobiles with their headlights shining on the area where the men from
Mars supposedly landed. There was so much criticism of that docudrama,
which is much further from reality than one on the assassination of
President Bush, that radio believed it was its social responsibility
never again so to scare listeners.
We now are in the era of anything-goes television. If you can't make it
with throwing a man into a bathtub filled with snakes, then how about a
hefty desert of live worms. When people have enough of that then why not
kill the President of the United States. I hope you are as outraged
about this as I am.